JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - A solar-powered tricycle is making errands a whole lot easier for staff of Arkansas State University’s College of Science and Mathematics.
The trike, named ELF, was purchased in August for errand-use to save money, time and to allow the college to become more environment friendly, said John Pratte, the college’s dean. It cost $4,000 and can be driven on or off the road.
“It’s more efficient than vehicles on campus,” he told The Jonesboro Sun (https://bit.ly/1fPIg5x). “It’s also a learning tool for students.”
But, Pratte said they have kept ELF stored this winter because no one would want to ride the trike when it is extremely cold or icy. While it has a polycarbonate shell cover, the bottom is open to the elements.
“Last month, we put it back in use because it was finally warm and the weather nice enough,” he said.
ELF, which is made by the North Carolina company Organic Transit, is about 4-feet tall, 8- to 10-feet long and maybe 3-feet wide. Pratte said features include headlights, a loud horn, blinkers, hazard lights, and rearview mirrors.
It can go up to 20 miles per hour, which Pratte said Organic Transit designed on purpose since anything traveling 21 miles per hour or more is regulated as a motor vehicle.
The trike only fits one person and has backspace storage to carry up to 100 pounds. Pratte said that drivers can pedal the trike like a bike, but it is also solar-powered and has a lithium battery so it can be plugged in and charged.
Pedaling with the motor running allows drivers to go faster than 20 miles per hour.
Pratte said that fully charged, ELF can operate for six to seven hours off solar power. But, the college has not driven it enough to completely drain it of power.
“You can get 20 to 25 miles out of the battery,” he said. “We charged it up initially and never charged it up since because we leave it locked up on the side of the building so it is charging all day through solar power.”
ELF is primarily used by faculty and staff. Pratte said some students have been allowed to use it for field testing, but, for the most part, use has been limited.
It has been a good fit for the college, which has nearly 1,000 students studying within it.
“All said and done, it was a reasonable buy,” Pratte said.
Similar to University Police’s segways, Pratte said ELF has found its use for people needing to move around a 10-block area or campus.
“I can’t envision a large number of people buying them, but it’s a start,” he added.
ELF is believed to be the first of its kind at ASU and in the community.
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Information from: The Jonesboro Sun, https://www.jonesborosun.com
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